Wow has time flown by! I can't believe it is already April 2010! I hope you are all having a productive and positive year so far. As things have become more routine here (and busy) I have definitely let the time between our chats slip a little more and for that, I apologize! It is 6 months + now that I have lived here and it gets better everyday but with everyday I miss you all!!
First off, I have to say congrats to Matt and Melissa on their recent egagement!!
Here goes a little catching up on life on the island for me...
A while back...in December I got to go on a wonderful night hike up this ridiculously steep, borderline rock climbing expedition up Mariners Ridge and camped on the top. We woke to watch the sun rise above the east side of the island/the Waimanalo side. (for those that have visited, it overlooks the road you take to get to Lanikai and Kailua Bay). It was awesome, we packed our packs that night, grabbed some food and headed up around 9pm. The hike begins in a residential area so we had to park and run at first so that the residents didn't see us as you are not supposed to do the hike at night. (mom, I am fine :) It was an amazing experience! We set up a fire at the top and had a great night! Any of you that come for a visit, I would love a repeat!
Soon the holidays came and went...Christmas was crazy busy at the hotel! Right after Christmas, I got an email from some family that they would be visiting the Big Island so I hopped on a plane 
and headed over to the Kailua-Kona side. I did feel as though I had landed on the moon as the airport sits on black lava rock. It's really crazy looking! I got to visit with my adorable nieces and nephe
w for a day and a half (way toooooo short!). We played at the beach and went to a great luau that night at the Mauna Kea Resort. The kids were talking all day about how they couldn't wait to get up and dance with the dancers at the luau when they ask all the kids to come and participate. Push came to shove...they chickened out!!! So the luau is wrapping up and they send the dancers out for one last dance to get participants and of course yours truly gets pulled on stage (very, very reluctantly) by a gentleman in a grass skirt to shake my non-existent behind in front of the crowd of oh....200 ppl! Lovely...it was a less then impressive showing however proved to be the most entertaining moment for my nieces and nephew (chickens!!). I had to fly home the next morning for work and NYE was approaching.
and headed over to the Kailua-Kona side. I did feel as though I had landed on the moon as the airport sits on black lava rock. It's really crazy looking! I got to visit with my adorable nieces and nephe
w for a day and a half (way toooooo short!). We played at the beach and went to a great luau that night at the Mauna Kea Resort. The kids were talking all day about how they couldn't wait to get up and dance with the dancers at the luau when they ask all the kids to come and participate. Push came to shove...they chickened out!!! So the luau is wrapping up and they send the dancers out for one last dance to get participants and of course yours truly gets pulled on stage (very, very reluctantly) by a gentleman in a grass skirt to shake my non-existent behind in front of the crowd of oh....200 ppl! Lovely...it was a less then impressive showing however proved to be the most entertaining moment for my nieces and nephew (chickens!!). I had to fly home the next morning for work and NYE was approaching. I had to work on NYE until 11pm but I managed to skip out in time, grab a bottle of champagne, head to a friends house to climb on his roof and watch the most fantastic display of local 
fireworks one could imagine. I mean these people take their home showing of fireworks very seriously! They are legal here so WalMart, Target, Safeway...all the stores have thousands of kinds for sale. I am willing to bet that some of these were illegal but regardless, it was like a 360 degrees show around us! Words can't describe but it sounded like we were in the middle of a war zone but with beautiful colors all around! Its like the same fireworks you see from the barges in San Diego but in people's driveways!!! And then the smoke came on so thick, you almost couldn't see 5 feet in front of you. The next morning, the streets were littered with debris.
fireworks one could imagine. I mean these people take their home showing of fireworks very seriously! They are legal here so WalMart, Target, Safeway...all the stores have thousands of kinds for sale. I am willing to bet that some of these were illegal but regardless, it was like a 360 degrees show around us! Words can't describe but it sounded like we were in the middle of a war zone but with beautiful colors all around! Its like the same fireworks you see from the barges in San Diego but in people's driveways!!! And then the smoke came on so thick, you almost couldn't see 5 feet in front of you. The next morning, the streets were littered with debris. Work slowed a little after NYE and I got to have a little fun :) Kevin's friend house sits for this beautiful beach side house in Hawaii Kai and we BBQ there from time to time since the owner is out of town a lot. For those of you that know the story, it's Ty Gurney's house
who is also the guy the movie"Flirting with 40" was about. (hehe). Anyway, we headed over for some good times bbq'ing on the beach...it's the most amazing dream house! The owner has the most amazing dogs, Rupert and Mabel...what characters! (Rupert is below...) 
January was moving right along, work started getting busier again
but I managed to get an amazing hike in (there have been quite a few but this one takes the cake). It starts up Manoa Falls which is where the University of Hawaii is located. The falls hike is about 30 minutes and is really easy. The falls itself is rather 
but I managed to get an amazing hike in (there have been quite a few but this one takes the cake). It starts up Manoa Falls which is where the University of Hawaii is located. The falls hike is about 30 minutes and is really easy. The falls itself is rather 
unimpressive however if you veer to the left on another trail that keeps going, you end up in this amazing bamboo forest! It takes you up about 2 hours until you reach the top where you can see to 2 sides of the island! It overlooks the Pali which is a beautiful highway the runs right through the center of Oahu but you are way above it. Oahu really has some amazing environments...one minute you are at the beach, the next in a bamboo forest and then in a sea of evergreens and you would think you are in Tahoe or something? I had no idea!!!.
So life continues pretty much day to day. I work, work and work but when I do manage a few days off here and there the perks are pretty amazing. A friend of mine, Kevin, works for a parasail company and they also runs a jet ski activity area as well so on a day off, we headed out to Sand Island where their barge is located and the skis are stored. We spent the day with some cold beers, sun and jet skis. I really can't complain. It was an amazing day...
Then a week or two later, I am in bed, sleeping. The phone starts ringing like crazy at 3:30am. Who is calling me at 3:30am???? It's a friend calling to let me know that I should pack my important belongings and head up the hill to their house because there is a BIG wave headed our way from a gigantic earthquate in Chile. So I do just that...we live in an evacuation zone (just on the edge but I didn't want to take my chances with my swimming skills). The sirens start at 6am...the come on every hour until 11am when it was supposed to hit. The sirens make it feel like it's the end of the world. It was so eerie. A big group of us gathered at my friends house, sitting around the TV just focused on the footage of Hilo Bay. We watched this water under a bridge at the edge of the bay start off calm, no movement and then it would start washing out to sea so fast that a white rapid formed. It would last for 5 minutes or so and then it would rush back in the same way it went out. They said the major sign of a tsunami or tidal wave coming is the massive recession of the water before the giant surge comes ashore. We kept waiting....then it would happen all over again....this went on for an hour or so and then it all just stopped. The huge wave on it's way from Chile just dissipated and nothing happened. The strangest thing is that days later the same thing kept happening, The water would recede and pull away from the shore 50% more at low tide then normal. They say it takes some time for it to go back to normal but it is just so weird how the planet works, makes you think a bit more about the big picture.
Anyway, that's about it for life out here for now. Things are becoming more normal here for me. I have a trip planned to CA at the end of April/beginning of May for Kelly's bachelorette party in Palm Springs. Can't wait to see you ladies then!!! I will be in San Diego May 3-6 and want to put together a Happy Hour at Bareback Grill on Tuesday, May 4th....so be there, I can't wait to see everyone! I will send an email or something out.
And I will say it again as I have many times before....book a ticket!! You are all welcome to visit anytime you need a little Hawaiian vaca! I will gladly be your host :) I just got a chance to visit the Honolulu Zoo for the first time (right next door to my apartment...) and it was great! What an amazing zoo we have here. The zoo, aquariam...so many activities are discounted here for "locals", or those of us that have local ID that's it's a great deal. 
Come on out and we'll check it out.
Come on out and we'll check it out. I hope you are all doing great things and enjoying life right now! If I didn't say it to you already, happy 2010!
Love and Aloha!
Jackie
